Some US companies, including Microsoft, Trammell Crow, and Nextracker, are jointly requesting a total of two million tons of near-zero-emissions steel from producers through the Sustainable Steel Buyers Platform, launched by the environmentalist think tank Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI).

The initiative is to help US steelmakers in decarbonization, with an aim to solidify demand for low-emissions steel to enable initial commercial-scale procurement in North America.

The broadly defined category of near-zero-emissions steel includes steel produced using renewable electricity, clean hydrogen, or possibly carbon capture technology.